Give your Shield Bot a voice! This project equips your Shield Bot to “speak” to people or objects it encounters while roaming around.
The robot uses the PING))) Ultrasonic Distance Sensor to check for obstacles within range. When it detects something, it stops and directs the Adafruit “Music Maker” MP3 shield to play WAV files stored on a microSD card, selecting different files if the obstacle moves out of the way or not.
Three WAV files with kitty noises are provided, but you can record your own to better reflect your Shield Bot’s unique personality! Of course, your robot could also respond with music, sound effects, animal calls, or whatever you’d like. Find all the project WAV files in our sound library, or you could reformat existing audio files to WAVs, or make your own WAVs using free Audacity software.
Requires parts not included in the base Arduino Shield-Bot kits. See parts list below for details. It is highly recommended that you complete the Shield-Bot tutorials before attempting this project.
Parts Required
- (1) Built and tested Shield Bot robot (#32335 includes an Arduino UNO, #130-35000 if you are providing your own Arduino)
- (1) Portable Mini Hamburger Speaker (#900-00018)
- (1) ActivityBot Speaker Mount Kit (#725-32905)
- (1) PING))) Ultrasonic Distance Sensor (#28015)
- (1) Adafruit “Music Maker” MP3 Shield
- (1) microSD card (#32319)
- (1) microSD/USB card adapter (for loading files to the microSD card from your computer)
- Optional (not provided) – Tiny robot fashion accessories of your choice
You will also be using these items that are included in the Shield Bot Kit:
- (1) 2.2 k-ohm resistor
- (1) piezo speaker – optional but a good idea
- (4) jumper wires
Did you know there is an Propeller C version of this project that uses our ActivityBot Robot? Click here to check it out!
